


Red Light

by orphan_account



Category: Batman (Comics), Batman - All Media Types, DCU, DCU (Comics)
Genre: Blow Jobs, Boners, Brat, Dubious Consent, First Love, Hand Jobs, High School, M/M, Prostitution, Puberty, Red Light District, Voyeurism, pubescent
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-09-12
Updated: 2017-09-11
Packaged: 2018-12-26 19:12:53
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Underage
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,776
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12065268
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: Dick places his hands on his hips. “You need to take me through the Red Light District eventually, Bruce.”Bruce’s mouth sets into a hard line.-In which a young Dick Grayson discovers the darkest side of Gothams Red Light District.Set during Robin & Batgirl year One.Rating & tags set for later chapters





	Red Light

Waiting for Bruce in the Batcave, Dick does some last minute stretches. Legs spread and back straight, he leans forward to press his hands flat to the ground in front of him and peeks from behind his bangs at the vision sitting casually on the other side of the platform.

Barbara Gordon is talking to Alfred about crocheting of all things, her charming laugh as distinctive as her red hair. This is new, of course: Batgirl’s open invitation to the Batcave. It gives Dick a chance to really see her. Her habit of swaying her feet and the way her small pink tongue touches her full lips. When she tosses her head back with a full laugh, the sudden sight of her full creamy throat makes Dick’s gut jolt.

 Looking away, he focuses on breathing. 

“I think your hamstrings are stretched,” Bruce says from behind Dick.

Dick trips forward over his own feet with surprise. He maneuvers the fall into a somersault with enough momentum to bring him back to his feet. He’s proud of that save.

“Save the spooking for the baddies,” he whines, but his nerves flutter when he sees Bruce’s gaze flick towards Barbara.

“Head in the game?” Bruce asks quietly. 

Dick pulls a face, but otherwise ignores the comment. Then he cartwheels towards the Batmobile “Last one in’s a rotten egg!”

Bruce turns expectantly towards Barbara.

Barbara waves them off. “Alfred and I are going to work on the Hatter case from the cave.” She’s great in the field, but her computer work has been remarkable lately.

Batman grunts and takes his place in the driver seat next to Dick. 

 Dick huffs under his breath, “Rotten egg.”

 

****

 

He’s flying across the rooftops with Bruce when Batman changes their course to avoid the Red Light District again. They land on a high vantage point, looking towards the East bridge. 

When Dick first started working as Robin, Batman introduced Gotham to him one neighbourhood at a time. However, Red Light District always seemed to be for another day.

“Batman--”he starts just as Batman says, “Robin.”

Surprised, he lets Batman continue, wondering if the man somehow read his mind (which is a possibility Dick hasn’t completely ruled out).

“Batgirl has proved herself to be a valuable member of the team.” It’s a random statement, and Dick wonders where this is going until he adds, “But not invaluable.”

Robin’s eyebrows shoot up. “You’re kicking her out?” he asks, embarrassing pubescent crack bringing it up an octave too high.

Bruce scans the road below them. “I don’t need to remind you that distraction is the difference between life and death.” He looks pointedly at Robin. “If you think Batgirl will become a distraction for you…”

The blood rushes to Robins face. The talk, really? Right here? Right now? Out in the open with nowhere to hide? Before he can think up a rational response, his mouth spits out, “Ew! No, god no. Girls are--” He scrunches up his nose. “Gross,” he lies.

And suddenly Dick sees a tension that he hadn’t realized was in Bruce’s shoulders dissipate. “Okay.”

 

 

****

 

 

The dynamic duo pull into the back of the Cave around 3 AM, completely breathless and drenched in sweat. Bruce pulls himself out of the Batmobile and begins diligently peeling off his armour whereas Dick all but face-plants on the floor.

“I’m never moving again,” He moans into the cement.

Bruce grunts. “Shower, then straight to bed. Alfred will call you in sick first period.” 

Dick was going to definitely fail P.E. Even on those days when he woke up at a reasonable time, he was often sent to school with a note excusing him from physical activities if he needed to hide a particularly nasty bruise.

From the floor, he watches Bruce ruffle his cowl-hair and then slick it back. Dick wonders if he’ll ever gain the intimidating edge that lingers around all of Bruce’s movements.

“Your reaction time has improved.” It takes a moment for the compliment to sink in before Dick is all smiles. Then he shifts forward onto his elbows to propel the kick-flip to his feet. “Thanks B!” He beams.

“What happened to not moving?” Bruce asks with the hint of a smile. 

Dick figures his moment is now before the metaphorical masks slips back on.

“You know I’m dedicated to protecting this city as much as you are--”Bruce nods in casual agreement “--but I can’t patrol Gotham to the best of my abilities if I don’t have a complete map.”

Bruce unclasps his cape and gives Dick a curious look, waiting.

Dick places his hands on his hips. “You need to take me through the Red Light District eventually, Bruce.”

Bruce’s mouth sets into a hard line. “We don’t patrol the Red Light District.”

Taken aback, Dick can’t hide his surprise. “We don’t? But…what?” 

Even as Bruce turns away to finish unfastening his armor, his mask slips back into place. “Targeting the district ultimately does more harm to the ladies we are trying to protect. Prostitution isn’t a battle fought from the streets, but rather from the prosperity of a city’s economy.”

Dick can’t believe what he’s hearing. “But that’s illegal--“

“--and it is no business of ours to watch them work from the shadows.” 

For the first time in a long time, Dick feels stricken like a child. It’s simple to the point of obviousness that Bruce might want to give these ladies privacy.

“But…what if they need our help?”

 “I have an associate who reports to me anything I need to know.” Bruce looks grim. “If necessary, I will confront criminals in the Red Light District, but children do not belong there.” The look Bruce gives him after that signals that this conversation has come to an end.

 

****

 

Shifting in his chair, Dick tries not to look too interested in the conversation between his lab partners which coincidentally, has nothing to do with the science project they’re supposed to be working on together. Like most teenage boys, they are talking about girls.

“Third base, I swear. It was crazy-” 

“Shut up, Jackson, no way you went to third--”

“Hey, Grayson, have you gotten anywhere with that chick yet?”

“W-what?” Dick splutters, suddenly forced into the conversation. 

“You mentioned her like two weeks ago, some redhead who totally has the hots for you.”

Dick blushes in remembrance of his exaggeration. “Um, maybe?” he says sheepishly. 

Jackson slings an arm around Dick. “Woah-ho, Grayson! Give us the details!”

“I don’t kiss and tell…”. He’s not entirely sure why he’s lying. He tells himself it has to do with creating an excuse as to why he never “hangs out” or goes to parties on weekends. He wants to leave it at that, knowing he can only lie so much about experience he doesn’t have, but the unimpressed looks on his friends’ faces have him blurting out, before he can stop himself, “B-blow job.” His face goes red immediately afterwards as his classmates pat him on the back and cheer. He’s grateful when the teacher bustles over to shush them and watch them until they get back to work.

He thinks about Barbara and her pretty lips and places his textbook over his lap.

 

****

 

Hanging by his knees from the East bridge, Robin watches fluorescent fog drift over the Red Light District. Bruce has been gone for a week on a Justice League mission, and Dick is feeling bored with the instructions to “lay low.” He can’t stop thinking about this associate who keeps Bruce informed about the district. What if she has something to report? 

Dick chews the inside of one cheek. He may not have been born here, but this is his home now. It feels wrong to avoid any area, especially one in such obvious need of help.

He could peek at the main street and avoid the alleys, he decides. Just to make sure no one is taking advantage of the Bat’s absence. 

Although Batman would be livid if he found out, Robin feels responsibility outweighs obedience. 

 

****

 

Located more or less in the middle of the district is an eight-story Economy lodge. Dick hovers in the shadow of its large neon vacancy sign. No one could look straight at him without being blinded by the light. 

His first impression is that the district is exactly what he expected: full of seedy bars and tacky outfits. People mill around the street with hands buried in their jackets, and the ladies stand in groups chatting idly amongst themselves.

Bar doors fling open, and Dick braces at the sudden flood of noise, but only a single, very drunken man emerges onto the street. He whistles towards the ladies who flip him off. Laughing heartily, he stumbles away. Then Dick sees a woman beside the bar lead a man towards a motel without a single word. He realizes what he witnessed and is a little awed by the civility of it. 

Then there’s the man with the lewd pants standing on the corner. Bruce hadn’t mentioned men worked the district as well, though Dick supposes it was a little ignorant of himself to assume otherwise. Dick knows about homosexuality, but he’s never really seen it, and when a customer walks by and grabsthe man’s ass, Dick swallows thickly and watches a second longer than he should.

That’s it. He’s done. Things are clearly fine, and it’s a school night, and--somethings out of place.

He zeroes in on a tiny shift in the shadows that isn’t quite big enough to be anything but...

A kid.

A small kid. Dick wants to guess that he might be a few years younger than himself but it’s always hard to tell with underfed Gotham street urchins. The kid creeps closer to a group of women, and Dick thinks he caught a pickpocket until he steps into the light.

“Jason!” they coo, and one pinches his cheek. He’s confused because Bruce all but said children were not welcome, yet these ladies don’t seem at all surprised to see “Jason.” He’s too high up to hear their conversation, but he doesn't miss one of the ladies slipping something small into the kid’s pocket, squeezing his arm before the kid moves back into the shadows.

Dick can’t be certain what that ‘thing’ is but he’d bet an awful lot of money on drugs or cigarettes. And yeah, he won’t stand for underage substance abuse. He drops deeper into the shadows of his perch, relieved the kid was heading out of the Red Light District towards the shadowed slum behind itand takes out his grapple gun.


End file.
